XIII
Rathbone Hall
Lin had rummaged through the cargo of the train. Several sashes and a coil of rope was all she felt she needed. Her head buzzed, feeling the swoon of hunger and sleeplessness coming over her. Holding strong against it, she tied herself a makeshift hammock beneath the carriage as the coachman loaded Inspector Doyle's luggage. Twisting her hair into a flat, comfortable bun at the back of her neck, she tied up the all four loosened tails of her black vest to avoid them catching on the journey. Crawling inside the hammock, she found it a very tight squeeze, practically hugging the bottom, she let herself wedge inside into a comfortable hold.
The hammock of sashes and rope rocked and bounced horrifically the entire way. The horses stank, leaving unpleasant things for her to hover over while she pinched her nose and held her breath. By nightfall she had fallen asleep, having grown use to the stink and violent movements of the carriage below.
"Whoa." The driver called, pulling the reins. The carriage came to a stop.
Lin opened her eyes slowly, feeling sleep was still heavy in them. Lin shifted beneath, un-tucking her head to peer out to their destination. A towering castle, like she had only seen in books, glowed in the twilight of the early night. The windows gleamed from the light within like fiery eyes. The carriage bounced again, and she quickly shifted back into the hammock. Inspector Doyle's shoes planted before her eyes as he gave a loud yawn. Beyond his shoes, Lin watched the door to the fortress open, releasing two servants to assist with their guest's luggage. Lin squinted her eyes, catching the faintest sight of armored guards inside. It was then she decided it would be far wiser to stay where she was until the carriage was out of sight of the castle.
"That's the last of it." The driver said, handing the last suitcase to the maid.
"Right." She squeaked, taking the last and began her trek back to the castle.
The driver gave a whistle, cracking the reins over the backs of the horses. For the last time the carriage would jolt to a start, bouncing over the gravel drive before it became very dark. Lin recognized the smell of stables immediately and would wait until the horses were set into their stalls and the stables were unmanned for even a brief moment.
For hours she crawled around the outside of the castle, avoiding the dogs that often walked with the guards as they patrolled the outskirts of the garden. Her back pressed to the cold stonewall of the castle, she looked upward to the yellow glow of the window above. No crevasses to latch onto for a proper climb, she looked higher up. The ledge of the window bore a decorative ledge…
Moving several feet away, she got a running start and darted for the wall, her feet running upward as she lurched herself upward, latching onto the lowest window. From there the climb was difficult, as she felt the dizzying sway of hunger and exhaustion once again. The first window lacked any drawn curtains, and she passed it up to climb to the second window, a level higher. A square, paned window, half covered with a curtain. With a wince, she felt her arms loosing their strength as she shakily pulled herself up to the ledge. Carefully she rested her elbow to it, pinning her toes against the outer wall. She grabbed the window frame, tugging at it frantically as she tried to find a silent way inside. Lin stopped, her lips pressing together as she gave up the task. Eyes trailed to the ground… the world swayed and she quickly pressed her forehead to the glass. With a final effort, she carefully wrapped her free hand in the tail of her vest, shielding it from the impact as she punched out a windowpane. Slipping her hand inside, she unlatched it and pulled it open.